Sustainable COVAX Vaccine Funding & Voluntary Manufacturing Licenses are Better Solutions than IP Waiver, Says IFPMA Head

16/05/2021 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

In preparation for the next pandemic, the COVAX global vaccine facility “needs a pot of money, where they can be early movers” in competing for, and securing, vaccine doses. That could help scenarios like the ones seen recently, in which rich countries cornered the market on the first available COVID-19 vaccines, leading to severe shortages […] Continue reading ->

Pandemic Reporting: Global Arrests While Over 200 Indian Journalists Have Died of COVID-19

07/05/2021 Svĕt Lustig Vijay

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how crucial journalism is to counter the rapid spread of inaccurate information and to hold governments accountable, a diverse panel of leading journalists noted on Thursday, a few days after World Press Freedom Day. Sometimes that story-telling saves lives, but it can also come at a high personal cost to […] Continue reading ->

As Indian Pandemic Worsens, Social Networks Save Lives – Government Promotes Alternative Therapies

04/05/2021 Disha Shetty

PUNE – For two weeks now Sijo Raju, along with a group of 20 young men and women, have been fielding calls from family members looking for oxygen cylinders, ventilator beds and ambulances. Finding a match can take a few hours as India’s overwhelmed health system and front-line healthcare workers try desperately to provide a […] Continue reading ->

COVID Situation in Syria Deteriorating – As Crisis In India Continues To Worsen

30/04/2021 Madeleine Hoecklin

Even as foreign aid from multiple countries arrives in India in response to its COVID-19 surge, a new epicenter of the SARS-CoV2 virus is emerging in Syria. The situation in Syria is “deteriorating extremely rapidly,” according to UN agencies and aid relief organizations. Although the official number of confirmed cases and deaths in Syria is […] Continue reading ->

Mass Gatherings – Neglected Factor In COVID Surges Seen In India, Pakistan and Neighbours

28/04/2021 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – Pakistan and its three estranged neighbouring countries – India, Iran and Afghanistan – are all struggling to restrain their large populations from attending deeply rooted and centuries-old cultural, religious festivals – so as to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the region. The cultural, political, and religious gatherings in all four developing […] Continue reading ->

China May Become World’s Biggest Vaccine Supplier As India Defaults On Global Deliveries

28/04/2021 Kerry Cullinan

As India restricts COVID-19 vaccine exports to address its domestic surge, the World Health Organization (WHO) is poised to give the Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm, emergency use listing (EUL) this week – potentially catapulting China into becoming the biggest global supplier of COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). However, Sinopharm is reported to be […] Continue reading ->

Desperation In India As COVID-19 Rages – Critics Take To Social Media, While Vaccine Manufacturers Hike Prices

26/04/2021 Disha Shetty

PUNE – Indian twitter for days has been a desperate space. There are appeals for oxygen cylinders, cries for funding to meet healthcare costs, and panic-stricken relatives scouting for hospital beds for their loved ones. Hospitals are now approaching the courts for help as they run out of oxygen. And even prominent lawyers and influencers […] Continue reading ->

India Faces Urgent Shortage Of Oxygen As Cases Soar – Japan Enters Third State of Emergency

24/04/2021 Madeleine Hoecklin

India recorded the world’s highest daily toll of new infections for the second consecutive day on Friday, while Japan plans to impose its third state of emergency, just three months before the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin. India is currently facing its worst outbreak of SARS-CoV2 since the pandemic began, with over 330,000 new […] Continue reading ->

Delhi State to Mobilise Public to Tackle Air Pollution, Says Environment Minister

19/04/2021 Jyoti Pande Lavakare

NEW DELHI, India – Delhi State aims to fight air pollution as a “mass movement” with public participation, according to Environment Minister Gopal Rai – but a recent conference he called with experts on the issue concluded with no firm commitments. Rai convened the two-day virtual conference with air pollution experts and clean air advocates […] Continue reading ->

India Set To Become Major Manufacturing Hub Of Sputnik V COVID Vaccine – Regulatory Approval Comes As COVID Cases Spike

14/04/2021 Menaka Rao

India has greenlighted Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use following a severe shortage of vaccines against the coronavirus and a massive spike in cases, and is now poised to become one of the world’s largest manufacturing hubs for the vaccine with 50 million doses produced by July. India’s aproval of a third COVID vaccine […] Continue reading ->